Friday, July 19, 2013

Staying Mindful of God's Presence in our Lives


In today’s first reading, Exodus 11: 10-12:14,  the story of Israel’s deliverance from slavery continues with detailed instructions of how to prepare for that day.  The blood of the slaughtered lamb—a  lamb  with no blemishes (a symbol of Jesus, whose blood will set us free from sin)— is to be sprinkled on “the two doorposts and the lintel of every house in which they partake of the lamb.”  The angel of death will pass over these homes.  To this day, the Jewish people hand a Mezusah on the doorpost of their homes to remind them of God’s prominence in their lives, that the Lord their God is one and that they are to keep God in the forefront of their minds and hearts throughout the day.

It behooves each of us, also,  to have reminders that also keep us mindful of God’s role in our lives, of God’s gift of salvation through the life, the death and the resurrection of His Son, through whom we, too, are delivered from death: the death of sin and selfishness, of pride and lust, of slothfulness and hatred.

One of the ways that I keep God at the center of my life is by beginning and ending each day with  communal prayer:  “Morning Praise” and “Evening Praise”.  Personally, I follow “Morning Praise” with an hour of personal prayer before starting work at 8-8:30 a.m and I close the day with “Consciousness Examine,” a Jesuit practice of thanking God, in a journal entry,  for the blessings of the day, looking at where and how I experienced God’s presence or absence throughout the day and why. 

What helps you keep God at the center of your day?

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